Women who want to keep their bones strong
may want to keep their cola consumption to
a minimum, a new study suggests.
In a study of more than 2,500 adults, Dr.
Katherine L. Tucker of Tufts University in
Boston and colleagues found that women who
consumed cola daily had lower bone mineral
density (BMD) in their hips than those who
drank less than one serving of cola a month.
"Because BMD is strongly linked with fracture
risk, and because cola is a popular beverage,
this is of considerable public health importance,"
the authors write in the American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition.
Studies in teen girls have tied heavy soft
drink consumption to fractures and lower BMD,
the researchers note, but it is not clear
if this is because they're drinking less milk,
or if it is due to any harmful effects of
soda itself.
To investigate this question in adults, the
researchers measured BMD in the spine and
at three points on the hips in 1,413 women
and 1,125 men participating in a study of
the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.
While there was no association between soft
drinks in general and BMD, the researchers
found that women who drank the most cola had
significantly less dense bones in their hips.
The greater their intake, the thinner the
bones, and the relationship was seen for diet,
regular, and non-caffeinated colas.
Cola consumption had no effect on BMD in
men.
Women who drank more cola did not drink less
milk, but they did consume less calcium and
had lower intakes of phosphorus in relation
to calcium. Cola contains phosphoric acid,
the researchers note, which impairs calcium
absorption and increases excretion of the
mineral. Caffeine has also been linked to
osteoporosis, they add.
"No evidence exists that occasional use of
carbonated beverages, including cola, is detrimental
to bone," they note. "However, unless additional
evidence rules out an effect, women who are
concerned about osteoporosis may want to avoid
the regular use of cola beverages."
SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
October 2006.
